St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-02-21
A CHASTITY QUINTETTE.
Five Mummies That Arrived in st. Paul
Recently After Their Death Rest in
Dakota Cave.
Sensational Story of Their Finding by
Cowboy in His Search for
Mineral Wealth.
A Man and Woman and Three Chill
dren Unearthed TWO Thousand
Years After Death.
The Bodies Dried Up, Not Petrifed--
a Valuable Discovery Made
by an Accident.

Two days ago Col. J. 81. Wood, of West
st. Paul, received a consignment of freight
from Rapid City, Oak. 1t consisted of five
boxes. each about three feet square Each
box contained the remains Of an indi vidual
who at some unknown period was at home
III cave in the Bad Lands of Dakota.
They were all perfect in form and in re-
markable state of preservation, being neither
petrified nor ossided, but simply withered
That IS the most appropriate way of briefly
stating their condition.
The finding of this withered family was
the result of anaccident Among the large
cattle ranches near Buffalo Gap was one
owned by Charles Clark. Mr.. Clark has
in his employ cowboy named William
Allen. Allen had some spare time and he
conceived the idea of sinking shaft in the
Bad Lands. He thought that with mines
on all sides it was possible that he would
strike riches. He went out on
A PROSPECTING TOUR
over the barren and inhospitable re-
gion. After brief survey he selected
spot on which to begin the work of climb
ing to fortune by the pick and shovel route.
He worked along atspare intervals for some
time. A rude windlasS was erected, by
means of which, with his Iariat
and a bucket. he managed to
raise the dirt. While delving away one
afternoon he noticed the ground beneath
him giving way. He seized the windlasS
rope just in time to prevent his exit to a
then unknown and uneXplored cavity.
Pulling himself to the surface he began to
devise means of exploring the mystery.
Night was coming on, so he decided to
postpone his trip to the place where he eX-
pected to find gold in abundance, and
hundred other things which would net him
wealth and fame. After breakfast next
morning. Allen strapped his gun to his
shoulder. and fastening one side of his
lariat to the windlass, began his descent
Down, down he went without sign of
anything, not even the bottom. He reached
the end of his lariat. His feet
STILL HUNG IN SPACE.
He could go no further, so he returned.
The nearest settlement to the point of
Aliens adventure is a small town called
Cook, fifteen miles from Deadwood. Hither
he started for more rope. He secured half
a coil and returned to his anticipated gold
mine. He had also a supply Of candles,
matches. etc., and with these began his de-
scent once more. This time he reached
bottom. about ninety five feet from the sur
face. He was in cavern, SO far as the dim
rays OF his candle permitted him to observe.
While exploring the immense cave he came
TO wall Of earth, in the side Of which was
an opening. Entering there he made the
discovery. 1t was neither gold, nor silver,
monster nor devil, but crouched down on
either side were what had once been
human beings. There were five in all, a
man. woman and three children. In search
ing around nothing was found to show to
what race they belonged, how long they
had remained in the cave, or anything else.
From the fact that on different parts of the
cave there were marks of finger nails, il
was presumed that the family at some re-
mote day had been shut in by a landslide
and perished of Sutfocation. After delib-
Grafton Allen decided to go to Scoop, a
town thirty miles from Rapid City, and get
an old friend to return and assist him to re-
move the mumnies. He related his adven-
ture to Charles Bruce. formerly Of Ok
ford, n. Y, and now living al
Sundance. Oak, and together they
RETURNED TO THE CAVE.
Another search revealed nothing but
the five bodies. These were raised
to the surface and loaded Oh a
wagon. The return trip was not begun
until the next morning, and then the two
men were astonished to notice that during
the night the hair on the withered five
which the night before had been intact had
fallen off. Otherwise, exposure to the air
had wrought no change. The bodies were
taken to Rapid City and Kept concealed il
barn for some time. Allen and Bruce
thought as dime museum curiositie:
and for this purpose conferred will
Joe Bender, of Buffalo Gap, al
old Snowman and brother Lex Bender
now with Joe Sheliy's troup of cowboys
Bender recommended them to the gentle
man in this city and that accounts for then
being here. The present intention is tC
present the family to the Smithsonian in
stitution at Washington. 1t was near tht
spot when these were found that an eX
plorng party from Deadwood, year ago,
discovered the immense lower jaw of a
mastodonic animal which is now on eXhi-
bition at the above place. This is Aliens
history of the discovery as written to tht
now posSesSor of the withered family.
To describe the condition of the indi
viduas is no easy task. AS before stated
they are neither wood.
STONE NOR SKELETON.
The mans weight is only fifty-siX pounds
The weights of the others are much less
Each one was found in sitting or half
reclining posture. and, from the manner il
which the arms and legs are drawn up. the
seem to have died in agony. The legs an
arms of the man are drawn up and eros
each other. His head is large, but the Onl
abnormally developed part is his chin. Th
seems larger than the common, every-da
one. The nails Of the fingers and toes ar
intact. Each one is carefully rounded off
and seems to have been a
lowed growth beyond the no.
fashionable mark. The skin
of a dark brown OF coffee complexion an
tbe bodies can at any part be puncture
with a pin 1t has the feeling of drie
eel skin. The only marks on any OF tn
bodies are on the left side of the MAI
Three scratches under the arm look liz
three cuts, but like the other parts CT tn
bodv the scratches or cuts are dried up.
is the opinion of the few scientific men VIII
bava seen them that the withered form
are those of race which inhaDlted tn
aonntrv at least two thousand years ag(
SThav are the first purely withered up fan
Civ which has been discovered and for tina
,eason are regarded as great curiosity b
The few who have seen them.
Col Wood said last night to GLOBE IT
,orter that he should have an eXaminatio
IF these mummies by physicians and sciel
+it;c men in the two cities before sendir
tbam to the Smithsonian institution. The
hova heen seen by two physicians OF tn
70, who regard them as one or the mo